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Home / North / Silavathurai

Silavathurai Beach

North Coast · Mannar · nearest town Mannar
★ 3.5 (1)
Swim: Moderate
Best time: May–Sep
27.9°C · Overcast today
Silavathurai beach, Sri Lanka
Region
North
District
Mannar
Nearest town
Mannar
Water
Calm
Crowds
wild, remote, secluded, quiet, local
Wheelchair
North shore of Mannar Island, a drive from Mannar town over sandy roads; private vehicle needed.

About Silavathurai

Silavathurai is a vast, empty stretch of Mannar Island's north shore, facing the shallow Palk Bay waters between Sri Lanka and India. The beach is broad and gently shelving, with wide sand flats that shimmer in the heat, and at low tide the sea seems to recede a long way across the flats. It is completely undeveloped: no stalls, no hotels, no crowds - just sand, sky and the occasional fishing boat, on a coast that is part of Mannar's turtle-nesting shoreline. The historic pearl banks of the Gulf of Mannar lie offshore, a reminder of the pearl fishery that once made the region famous. Visitors need their own transport and supplies; this is a beach for solitude, long walks and watching the light change over the shallows.

  • Vast, empty north-shore sand flats
  • Shallow, shimmering water that recedes far at low tide
  • Part of Mannar's turtle-nesting coast
  • Offshore waters of the historic Gulf of Mannar pearl banks
  • No development of any kind
  • Solitary walks and sunset views over the flats
  • Local fishermen working the shallows

Best time to visit

May–Sep (dry season for this coast)

MonthAvg highRain daysSuitability
Jan ~27°C 10–14 Wet / rough (NE monsoon)
Apr ~31°C 8–10 Transitional, hot
Jul ~30°C 2–4 Excellent (dry season)
Oct ~29°C 12–16 Monsoon onset

Weather

Powered by WeatherAPI.com · marine data by Open-Meteo · updated daily
27.9 °
Feels like 31.1°
Overcast
Wind 30 km/h SSW (gusts 33) · Humidity 75% · UV 6.4
☀ Sunrise 06:01 AM · Sunset 06:19 PM
Next hours
11 AM
28°
Overcast
12 PM
28°
Overcast
1 PM
28°
Overcast
2 PM
28°
Overcast
3 PM
28°
Overcast
4 PM
27°
Overcast
5 PM
27°
Overcast
6 PM
27°
Overcast
Next 7 days
Sun
27°
Overcast
25%
Mon
28°
Partly Cloudy
14%
Tue
27°
Sunny
9%
Wed
27°
Cloudy
20%
Thu
27°
Thundery outbreaks in nearby
22%
Fri
27°
Overcast
23%
Sat
27°
Overcast
17%
Wave height: 1.2 m Sea temp: 28.7°C Swell: 0.6 m SW

Forecasts are model-based; use the climate guidance above for season planning.

Surf conditions

Fair
Swell
0.6 m SW
Swell period
5s
Wind waves
0.9 m SW
Sea temp
28.7°C
Wind
Offshore
Tide
Rising
Secondary swell
0.3 m SW

Wind blowing out to sea — holds waves up, cleaner faces

Next 7 days — surf forecast
Sun
0.9m
13s
SW
Mon
1m
12s
SW
Tue
1m
11s
SW
Wed
0.7m
12s
SW
Thu
0.7m
10s
SW
Fri
0.7m
9s
SW
Sat
0.6m
8s
SW

Tide is an approximate rise/fall read (model sea-level, not tide-table times). Surf rating is a general swell/wind read, not break-specific.

Nearby

Restaurants, hotels and more populate automatically from OpenStreetMap.

Nearby places will appear here after the OpenStreetMap import runs.

Reviews

★ 4 (1)
Scenery3.5
Water4.7
Cleanliness3.4
Facilities3.4
Crowds4.5
📌 Editor review
★ 4

Silavathurai is for travellers who want a beach entirely to themselves - no facilities, no lifeguards, just wide sand and shallow water. Best in the dry season with a full day and a stocked car; the emptiness is the whole point.

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Travel tips

10
Go stocked · 3 days ago
Bring water, food, sunscreen and shade - there is nothing to buy at the beach.
10
Plan around the tide · 3 days ago
At low tide the sand flats extend far out, making the beach feel even more vast; time your walks with the tides.
10
Respect nesting season · 3 days ago
If you visit during turtle-nesting months, keep your distance from any tracks or nests and avoid lights on the beach at night.
10
Pair with Mannar town · 3 days ago
Combine the beach with the island's forts and causeway for a full day; Mannar town has the nearest guesthouses and food.

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FAQ

The water is shallow and calm in the dry season, but with no lifeguards or facilities most visitors come for walking, solitude and the landscape rather than organised swimming.
Silavathurai sits near the historic Gulf of Mannar pearl banks, where the region's famous pearl fishery operated for centuries, and the coast today is known as turtle-nesting habitat.
Reach Mannar town first, then continue along the island's north coast by private vehicle or hired tuk-tuk; the last stretches are sandy tracks.

Questions from travelers

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